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Broken nail not expected to hamper Dickey

4/2/13: R.A. Dickey talks about his Opening Day start that resulted in a 4-1 loss to the Indians

By Gregor Chisholm
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MLB.com |

DETROIT -- In the grand scheme of everyday life a broken fingernail means next to nothing, but the same can't necessarily be said for a knuckleball pitcher.

R.A. Dickey broke a nail during the first inning of his last start against Boston. The ailment might seem incredibly minor, but considering the way Dickey has to grip the ball if his nails aren't quite right, it can have a negative impact.

The minor injury wasn't revealed until general manager Alex Anthopoulos brought it up during a radio interview on Tuesday night. He was asked about it again on Wednesday morning and insisted that Dickey isn't in danger of missing his upcoming start on Saturday.

"He's said he's done it many times in the past, that he could pitch with it," Anthopoulos said. "He wasn't concerned about it and said it happens all the time, so we're not concerned about it."

Dickey's fingernail might not be a concern, but the overall performance of the starting rotation has been through the first seven games of the season.

Toronto's starters have yet to throw a single pitch in the seventh inning while posting an overall ERA of 6.08, which is third worst in the Major Leagues. The sample size is still incredibly small, though, and Anthopoulos believes the rotation will still prove to be a major strength for his ballclub.

"Once our rotation starts to settle in, I think we'll be fine," Anthopoulos said. "It's really our starters giving us a chance to win the games. Obviously, offensively we need to get everybody going as well.

"It's just a matter of everything clicking together at the same time and just starting to get on a roll."